Notre Dame Technology Professor to Lecture on AI and the Common Good at Seton Hill 11/3
Dr. John T. Behrens, Professor of the Practice of Technology and Digital Studies and Founding Director of the Technology and Digital Studies Program at the University of Notre Dame, will present a lecture titled “Babel or Jerusalem? AI, Daily Life, and the Common Good” on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in Cecilian Hall, located on the second floor of Seton Hill University’s Administration Building.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Greensburg/Uniontown Notre Dame Alumni Club and Seton Hill University, the event is part of the Notre Dame Alumni Association’s prestigious Hesburgh Lecture Series.
In his presentation, Dr. Behrens will offer a plain-English overview of how artificial intelligence technologies operate and demonstrate recent advances in AI capability. He will address immediate challenges surrounding AI implementation—including environmental energy costs, workplace impacts, and questions regarding what human tasks should be shared with machines versus held sacred. Drawing upon papal encyclicals such as Laudato Si’ and Magnifica Humanitas, Dr. Behrens will examine the ethical and theological framework that should guide society’s collective response to rapid technological change.
“Seton Hill University is proud to partner with the Greensburg/Uniontown Notre Dame Alumni Club to host Dr. John Behrens for this year’s Hesburgh Lecture on an increasingly important topic in our society,” said Seton Hill University President Mary C. Finger. “As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms our daily lives and academic disciplines, Dr. Behrens’ insights will provide our campus and local community with a thought-provoking perspective on how we can ethically navigate these emerging technologies while remaining steadfastly focused on human dignity and the common good.”
About Dr. John T. Behrens
Dr. John T. Behrens serves as Professor of the Practice of Technology and Digital Studies and Founding Director of the Technology and Digital Studies Program at the University of Notre Dame, where he is also a Concurrent Professor of the Practice in Computer Science & Engineering. Across more than 20 years of industry experience—including executive roles at Cisco and Pearson, where he served as Vice President of AI Product Development—Dr. Behrens has led global initiatives in educational software, data science, and AI innovation.
He has authored over 50 academic publications on learning science and assessment systems and co-teaches the popular Notre Dame course “Generative AI in the Wild”. Dr. Behrens earned his B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame and his M.A. in Special Education and Ph.D. in Educational Data Science from Arizona State University.
About the Hesburgh Lecture Series
Offered each year through Notre Dame’s network of more than 200 alumni clubs, the Hesburgh Lectures are delivered by Notre Dame faculty members nominated by their colleagues and college deans. The series honors the late Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., who served as President of Notre Dame from 1952 to 1987 and was a transformative figure in higher education, civil rights, and global human rights.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Greensburg/Uniontown Notre Dame Alumni Club and Seton Hill University, the event is part of the Notre Dame Alumni Association’s prestigious Hesburgh Lecture Series.
In his presentation, Dr. Behrens will offer a plain-English overview of how artificial intelligence technologies operate and demonstrate recent advances in AI capability. He will address immediate challenges surrounding AI implementation—including environmental energy costs, workplace impacts, and questions regarding what human tasks should be shared with machines versus held sacred. Drawing upon papal encyclicals such as Laudato Si’ and Magnifica Humanitas, Dr. Behrens will examine the ethical and theological framework that should guide society’s collective response to rapid technological change.
“Seton Hill University is proud to partner with the Greensburg/Uniontown Notre Dame Alumni Club to host Dr. John Behrens for this year’s Hesburgh Lecture on an increasingly important topic in our society,” said Seton Hill University President Mary C. Finger. “As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms our daily lives and academic disciplines, Dr. Behrens’ insights will provide our campus and local community with a thought-provoking perspective on how we can ethically navigate these emerging technologies while remaining steadfastly focused on human dignity and the common good.”
About Dr. John T. Behrens
Dr. John T. Behrens serves as Professor of the Practice of Technology and Digital Studies and Founding Director of the Technology and Digital Studies Program at the University of Notre Dame, where he is also a Concurrent Professor of the Practice in Computer Science & Engineering. Across more than 20 years of industry experience—including executive roles at Cisco and Pearson, where he served as Vice President of AI Product Development—Dr. Behrens has led global initiatives in educational software, data science, and AI innovation.
He has authored over 50 academic publications on learning science and assessment systems and co-teaches the popular Notre Dame course “Generative AI in the Wild”. Dr. Behrens earned his B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame and his M.A. in Special Education and Ph.D. in Educational Data Science from Arizona State University.
About the Hesburgh Lecture Series
Offered each year through Notre Dame’s network of more than 200 alumni clubs, the Hesburgh Lectures are delivered by Notre Dame faculty members nominated by their colleagues and college deans. The series honors the late Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., who served as President of Notre Dame from 1952 to 1987 and was a transformative figure in higher education, civil rights, and global human rights.